The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1887-04-06
OLD GRIDLEY'S GHOST.

why, Dunham, what's the matter;
HOW your hand trembles Are you sickP
mo; not exactly"
"What ails you then3 Speak out, man.
Have you been seeing ghostg"
ITO tell the truth, Maggie, do feel
little nervous this morning l haven't
made trip these twenty years that |
dreaded like this"
"Seen Old Gridley again9"
eyes,
"Pshawl l thought that was It.
Haven't you seen him dozen times be-
lore and nothing came it?n
This time he had his sextant."
All this was at the breakfast table
Dunham was mate of the Orc Fino max.
ing tri-monthly trips between Portland
ana San Francisco. He had sailed thirty
years, been round the world twice, been
captain about six years, but lost his ship
and couldn't get another, and so was
glad to be First Mate of the Orc Fiuo.
Dunham had habit of seeing ghosts
or, rather, a ghost, for he never saw but
one; that was old Gridley. Gridlev
was mate of the vessel on which Dunham
made his first trip as a ship-bov. That
trip was Dunham's first, but Gridley's
last. Gridley had a passion for beating
ships boys with a ropes end. Gridley
was taking an observation with the sex
tant, and, as the boy was passing him
with bucket and swab. a sudden iurch
OF the ship threw him against the mate
Gridley seized a ropes end, and was he.
laboring the boy soundly when a boom
provldentially left loose, struck him and
knocked him overheard. Ever since that,
on numerous occasions Dunham had seen
Grldley's ghost-usually with a rope's
end, but sometimes with a sextant He
mad never been able to see any particular
fatality portended by the vision with the
ropes end. He had seen it n dozen
times; and, on some occasions. his best
luck had seemed to follow the apparition.
Not so when the ghost with the sextant
appeared. He had seen this only twice
once, the night before he fell from the
toretop and broke his leg; the other time.
the night before his ship was cast awav,
Last night was the third time. He had
walked up and found himself living on his
Dack' The room was perfectly dark; it
was also perfectly still. Dunham could
see nothing and could hear nothing.
Nevertheless, he felt that something or
somebody was in the room that ought to
be out of it. He also felt draught of
cold AIR. Durham was no stickler for
ventilated apartments, and had carefully
closed and locked the windows before re-
tlring. The air could not come from
the windows; neither could it come from
the bed room door, for that opened into
the slttlng-room just opposite to a win
dow, and if the door had been open he
could have seen the window. Despite
MS natural courage, Dunham was fright
ened. He raised himself on his elbow
very cautiously. He looked about the
room; he could see absolutely nothino
ne reached over to where Maggie, his
wHe, slept-she was there. He moist
ened his finger in his mouth and held it
up. He could then sensibly feel the
draft of air coming from the foot of his
bed: He got up and struck a light.
Looking over his shoulder as he did so.
be saw, at the foot of his bed, old Gridlev.
lt would do no good to shout aloud-his
wife would only laugh at him. He had
often walked her up to look at the ghost
but she professed never to see it. It
would do no good to go up to the appari-
tlon and try to seize it-he had often
done this, and it only disappeared for an
instant to reappear in another part of the
room. So he left the lamp burning and
got into bed with his eyes fixed on the
igure.
This time Gridley had his sextant and
seemed busy bringing an imaginary sun
Town to an imaginary horizon. The
operation completed, the figure turned to
he bureau and seemed to be making the
calculation. Then he turned to Dun
nam, and shook his head negatively. and
iashed the sextant to the floor. A sud !
len crack startled the mate. He had
urned the lampwick too high, and the
chimney had cracked and fallen to the
ioor.
In the morning Dunham was a little |
nervous. However, having taken a cup
'r two of strong coffee, felt more com |
posed.
joey Dunham, the mates only child, a
BOY of ten years of age, almost always ac- |
his father on his trips. This !
ime Durham proposed to leave him az
lome; but the boy seemed so disap-
pointed that his father finally gave way,
md they started together down to the
teamer.
joey was perfectly at home, and while
us father was busy, stole up into the
which had incautiously been
eft unlocked. The wheelman, coming
long soon after, met Joey stealing down
he steps, looking scared and guilty.
In an hour the Orc Fino was at the
mouth of the Willamette, and struck the
trong, full current of the Columbia.
Iaving more sea-room now, she began to
Use her strength. The flames roar
trough the fues; the engineer turns on
full head of steam the clear sweet wa
er of the river, cut clean and neat by the
row, is dashed into snowy foam by the
'addles, and sinks and rises in a swell